LANSING – Following a significant rise in measles and whooping cough cases among children in Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a statement on Wednesday urging parents to vaccinate their children according to the recommended immunization schedule to prevent further outbreaks.

Ryan Malosh, director of the Immunization Division at the MDHHS, reported that 18 cases of measles have been confirmed in Michigan this year — the highest number since the 2019 outbreak in Oakland County. He also noted that the state has recorded 855 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) since the beginning of 2025, including 152 cases in children under the age of 2.

The spread of whooping cough in Michigan began accelerating last year, with more than 2,000 cases reported in 2024 — a 1,700 percent increase compared to 2023, which saw only 110 cases.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection, initially resembling a cold before progressing into severe coughing fits, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Malosh said 27 children in Michigan have been hospitalized due to the illness so far this year.

According to the “I Vaccinate” campaign — a public-private partnership that provides parents with information on the importance of vaccines — the decline in vaccination rates after the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the resurgence of diseases like measles and whooping cough.

“These are preventable diseases,” Malosh emphasized. “We have the tools to stop them. We urge all parents to check their children’s immunization records and make sure they’re fully vaccinated before going back to school.”

In 2019, about 75 percent of Michigan parents were up-to-date on their children’s routine vaccinations. That number has since dropped to approximately 70 percent.

Experts point to a variety of reasons for the drop in immunization rates, including misinformation, disinformation and limited public health resources.

Dr. Pamela Rockwell, clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan and chair of Michigan’s Immunization Advisory Committee, said misinformation is the number one reason people avoid vaccines.

“There are many websites that appear trustworthy, but they’re not,” she said.

“Misinformation is widespread — not just on social media, but unfortunately now from top government officials as well,” she added, alluding to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly claimed without evidence that vaccines cause various health and behavioral disorders.

Rockwell added that “some confusion and changes at the federal level” have added to the uncertainty around vaccine recommendations, but stressed that Michigan will continue to follow evidence-based guidelines to protect children and communities.

Michigan officials also confirmed that measles is on the rise statewide. Nationally, 2025 has seen the highest number of measles cases in the U.S. since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Measles is extremely contagious and causes high fever, rash, cough and other symptoms, per the Cleveland Clinic. Malosh noted that the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination rate for children ages 19 to 35 months in Michigan is currently around 79 percent — below optimal levels for herd immunity.